Clarity
by dannyboy23
Summary: Danny's sick of his mess of a life. He's hoping that going to McKinley High and being re-united with Marley Rose, the one girl he truly loved, will be enough to sort him out
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Danny Stratton moved slowly throughout the hallways of McKinley high school, his new high school for the year. Danny was a junior student starting at his tenth school in just three years and he didn't plan to stick around at McKinley for very long, he never did, his father would get transferred jobs yet again in around three months' time and he'd have to leave again. There was no point event trying to make friends, it would only make the inevitable goodbye that much harder when it came. His dad had promised him that this time it would be different but Danny doubted it, he had said that before. Danny was a handsome boy and a very skilled dancer though he never did much with it, he never had the time to join a club and his dad would never support him if he chose to pursue a career in that field. Danny had been born in England and had relocated to American with his dad when he was six years old for a fresh start following the death of his mother and sister in a terrible car accident that had left Danny with a permanent scar on his stomach which made him feel very self-aware.

Danny knew he was attractive, even as he walked down the corridors of his new high school he was aware girls were staring at the hot new guy. He caught the eye of one eye catching pretty brown haired blue eyed girl who gave him a friendly smile as he walked by; her boyfriend didn't look too happy about it. The last thing Danny wanted on his first day of high school was to get into a fight over some dude over his girlfriend. Despite his good look and approachability Danny had never been much of a ladies man; he attracted a lot of girls but he never wanted to do anything with them. If he did, she was just another person he could end up getting close too and then have to leave once again. It had happened before and it had nearly destroyed him. Danny gave a short smile back to the girl and carried on into his new homeroom

"Can I take your name" the rather loud home room teacher said as he entered. She was very intimidating, dressed in a tracksuit and had what seemed to be an Olympic bronze medal hung around her neck "I am Coach Roz Washington, I am your homeroom teacher this year. It was Sue Sylvester but that weedy as hell Ellen DeGeneres wannabe was fired last year for bringing a fire arm to school. What is your name?"

"Danny" the boy squeaked "My name's Danny Stratton"

"Boy, what the hell kind of accent is that" Coach Roz asked as though Danny had just outright slapped her around the head

"A British one" he replied slowly

"You're from England?" Washington replied "Now you need to understand something about the United States of America you man and I am going to tell you that-"

"It's cool" said Danny wanting more than anything to get away from the insane lady "It's cool; I've actually lived in America for eight years"

"Then how come you still got that stupid ass-kissing almost Nazi surrendering crumpet and tea drinking accent" Washington again addressed Danny as if he'd just outright killed one of her children.

"I go back to England for the summer to see my family" Danny told her before shrugging and was grateful when Washington began to shout at more students who were walking through the door. Taking a seat at the back of the classroom Danny took out his phone and began to sort through his music trying to pick an album to listen to in order to drown out the ringing Washington's voice had left in his ears. Danny loved music from his home country, living in America for so long and being ridiculed for his accent so much made him very protective and patriotic towards England. All of his favourite artists were British

"Hey, Danny?" the pretty brown haired girl from earlier was now standing over Danny looking down on him with a radiant smile there was another boy with her but he wasn't the boyfriend from earlier. Danny did a double take. He couldn't believe Marley Rose was standing in front of him, he thought he'd never see her again.

"Marley" he said hugging her tightly nearly knocking her off her feet in the process "Oh my god, Marley what are you doing here?"

"I got to school here" she said happily "Oh Danny, I can't believe you're here. This is fantastic, oh this is my friend Ryder buy the way" she said pointing at the broad muscular boy sitting next to her

"Nice to meet you" said Ryder as he and Danny shook hands

"So" said Marley "How the hell have you ended up in Lima, Ohio of all places?"

"Dad got transferred… again" said Danny "I've been to three different schools since I last saw you, wow Marley, I can't believe I'm seeing you again"

"How do you know eachother guys?" asked Ryder seemingly very intrigued by the whole situation.

"We met at summer camp about two summers ago" said Marley laughing at the memories that had also come flashing back to Danny the second he saw her. Danny's grandmother who normally looked after him during his long summer visits had been too ill to look after him that summer and with his father busy Danny had been sent off to summer camp. He'd hated it there, he was bullied by some of the older kids and the camp was a dump. Luckily, he met Marley and they became best friends and shared everything. Once camp was over they stayed in touch for a few months until real life took over and they lost touch. Danny had been devastated; Marley was the only friend he'd truly had since he moved to America

"Please tell me you are still singing" said Marley. Ryder's intrigue only seemed to increase with this statement as she and Marley shared a hopeful look "You've got such an amazing voice Danny"

"Just to myself in the shower these days" Danny told her. Marley still looked ecstatic which further puzzled Danny "Why?"

"You should try out for the Glee Club" said Marley "We need a minimum of 12 members and we've only got six members at the moment because half the club graduated last year. Please Danny, come on you have too"

"I don't know" said Danny. Marley's face dropped "It's just – I want too and everything but we move around so often I don't want to commit to something I might have to let people down on"

"Please just think about Danny" said Marley "Because if we can't find six new members then the Glee Club's going to have to disband. And after two consecutive national show choir championships that would be terrible"

"OK, OK, FINE" said Danny "You've twisted my arm, beside I've never been able to say no to you Marley Rose. When are auditions?"

"Tomorrow afternoon in the Gym I think" said Marley hugging Danny "Oh thank you so much Danny, you're going to love it here I promise"

Danny doubted it. He sighed as he watched Marley practically bounce down the corridor towards some friends. Being near the girl he'd been in love with for the past two years was going to be hard when she had a new boyfriend


	2. The Audition

Chapter Two

Danny spent the rest of the day hanging out with Marley and her friends all of whom seemed very welcoming, except for her boyfriend Jake who seemed to have taken an instant disliking to Danny out of jealousy. Danny was a decent guy and as in love with Marley as he was he certainly didn't want to walk back into her life and immediately create tension between her and her boyfriend, he wanted Marley to be happy and if that meant letting her be with Jake then he was perfectly willing to let it slide. It still hurt him a little bit though but Marley had always been completely unaware of his feelings for her so Danny couldn't bring himself to be pissed at her; none of this was her fault.

Danny had instantly connected with Ryder, which only seemed to add to Jake's dislike of him, as well as getting on well with Kitty and Unique. Danny wasn't so sure about Joe or Sugar and he noticed that they were only hanging out with Marley and her friends because they were in Glee Club and would've been alone otherwise. They didn't really seem to enjoy being with the rest of the club.

"So, Danny, what song are you thinking of singing for the audition tomorrow" said Kitty "From the looks of you I reckon you could kill a Justin Timberlake number"

"I'm flattered you think I'm like Justin Timberlake and all but that isn't really the direction I want to go in" Danny replied, he noticed Jake instinctively put his arm around Marley as if he was protecting her from something "Don't get me wrong, he's great and everything but it's just not the kind of performance I'd want to give"

"Well, we can't all dance like JT" said Jake in an almost boastful tone

"Except for you of course" said Unique. Jake smirked

"Don't encourage him" said Marley shoving her best friend "Jake's got a big enough ego as it is, it certainly doesn't need inflating anymore". Jake and Marley began to make out; Danny had to look away partly because of his feelings for Marley and partly because it was just gross

"So Daniel" said Ryder in an attempt to distract attention away from Jake and Marley "If something like Justin Timberlake isn't quite you, then what is"

"You'll just have to wait and see" said Danny with a smirk. Sugar rolled her eyes.

At the end of the day, Danny decided to walk home as he was feeling quite upbeat. Even though he was internally telling himself that his life in Lima probably wouldn't even begin before he had to leave, he had at least met people and they all seemed to like him and wanted him to be part of their group. Danny had always loved performing ever since he was a little boy, it was one of the only traits he'd inherited from his mother, and was shocked when he found out that he was actually really good at it. Since the age of nine Danny had been asking for a guitar from his dad and his wish was finally granted last Christmas when his father gave him one as a main present. Danny had been cherishing the instrument ever since and had learnt to play no less than 150 songs on it since and had been waiting for an opportunity to play one of them ever since.

Arriving home Danny was disheartened to find a note from his father that read _"Away on Business tonight. I'll be back home tomorrow and try to be home from school on time. I have something planned"_. 'Great' Danny thought to himself as he chucked his father's note in the bin and began checking the phonebook for a decent pizza takeout in Lima. He'd be damned if he was going to cook whilst his father was no doubt dining in some fancy restaurant in whatever ludicrously expensive hotel he was staying in. At least he could get some peace and quiet and practice whatever song he was going to sing for his audition the next day without worrying his dad would shout at him about the noise

Rifling through his notebook Danny found the perfect song for his audition; he wanted it to be personal but at the same time not give too much away about himself. He smiled as he practiced the song, it was just perfect

"OK, next up is Daniel Stratton" the Glee Club teacher announced at 4pm the next afternoon; Danny couldn't believe he was actually nervous about auditioning considering his heart hadn't truly been in it when he agreed to. He was also fairly anxious that the auditions were being held after school when his dad had wanted him to be home early. He'd sent his dad about ten messages explaining where he was so he hoped it was going to be alright

"Hello, hi everyone" Danny said nervously as he stepped out onto the stage where the Glee Club, their teacher and all the other people who were auditioning sitting watching the stage. Marley and Ryder both gave him a thumbs up whilst Jake merely rolled his eyes clearly pissed off that all the Glee Club had to stay after school to watch the auditions

"What're you going to be singing Danny?" the teacher asked again

"I'm going to be singing one of my favourite songs from last year, it's called Give me Love and it's by Ed Sheeran" Danny said as he picked up his guitar, sat down on the stool placed on the stage and began to strum away before singing:

_Give me love like her,_

_'cause lately I've been waking up alone,_

_Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt,_

_Told you I'd let them go,_

_And that I'll fight my corner,_

_Maybe tonight I'll call ya,_

_After my blood turns into alcohol,_

_No, I just wanna hold ya._

_Give a little time to me or burn this out,_

_We'll play hide and seek to turn this around,_

_All I want is the taste that your lips allow,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love._

_Give me love like never before,_

_'cause lately I've been craving more,_

_And it's been a while but I still feel the same,_

_Maybe I should let you go,_

_You know I'll fight my corner,_

_And that tonight I'll call ya,_

_After my blood is drowning in alcohol,_

_No I just wanna hold ya._

_Give a little time to me or burn this out,_

_We'll play hide and seek to turn this around,_

_All I want is the taste that your lips allow,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_Give a little time to me, or burn this out,_

_We'll play hide and seek to turn this around,_

_All I want is the taste that your lips allow,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_My, my, my, my, oh give me love,_

_My, my, my, oh give me love._

He watched with a smile on his face when at the end of the performance Marley, Ryder, Kitty and Sugar were all on their feet clapping whilst Unique, Joe and the teacher all looked very satisfied with his performance. Even Jake had to give a shrug that read something along the lines of "Fuck sake that was actually really good". Danny couldn't help but feel a little bit smug about that. Marley hugged Danny tightly as he sat back down

"Oh I knew you could do it" she said

"Wow, dude, that was seriously incredible" said Ryder patting Danny on the back

"Boy, Unique knows talent when she sees it" said Unique "And damn, you are one talented boy"

"Thanks guys" said Danny with a massive grin on his face. Jake remained his seat looking bitter and unimpressed.

"So, Mr Schu" Marley began "What do you say? Is Danny in or out?"

"In, no question about that" said Mr Schu shaking Danny's hand "Danny… you were incredible, your voice is so amazing and you'll be a welcome addition to the Glee Club this year"

Danny grinned as Marley kissed him over and over again on the cheek


	3. Behind Closed Doors

Chapter Three

Danny was feeling pretty elated for the first time in god knows how long as he headed to a local restaurant, Breadstix, with Marley, Ryder, Unique, Jake and Kitty following the Glee Club auditions. Marley couldn't stop praising Danny's performance although he wished that she would as every compliment she gave him only seemed to add to Jake's growing dislike of Danny.

"Oh my god these breadsticks are amazing" said Danny admiring the restaurants breadsticks which were truly the best he'd ever tasted "I mean I know they're only breadsticks but damn, these things are tasty"

"Dude, how have you lived this long and not had any" said Ryder with a chuckle "They are like the best things ever. This is the best restaurant ever"

"True that" said Kitty "So Danny… how many shirts do you have?"

Danny raised his eyebrows at the bemusing questions; he found it odd no one else seemed to think Kitty's question was very sudden and unusual. Why should she care how many shirts he has? What does it matter anyway?

"I don't know exactly, quite a lot though" Danny said slowly "Can I ask why?"

"I'm just saying now you're in Glee Club you're probably going to need more than you have, believe me" said Kitty. Unique and Marley nodded

"Why" Danny asked again now utterly terrified for whatever the reply was going to be

"Oh it's just" Marley began slowly "It's just that sometimes people like to throw slushies' in the faces of people in the Glee Club"

WHAT?

"WHAT?" Danny exclaimed very loudly silencing some of the tables around them. Jake smirked as Danny was told to keep it down by a cross old couple on the table opposite from them. "Marley, you never told me that"

"Not her fault really" said Jake. No one took any notice of him.

"I'm sorry, it didn't seem important at the time" said Marley still smiling the same elegant smile that made Danny's heart melt "It's not that bad, it all washes out easily"

"I'd still rather it didn't happen at all" Danny said with a laugh, he couldn't stay mad at Marley and he decided just to buy a lot of new t-shirts over the weekend.

"Well the Glee Club isn't exactly considered a 'cool' thing to do dude, so we wouldn't blame you if you decided it wasn't for you" it was so clear by these words that Jake was really unhappy about the fact Danny was now in the Glee Club. Danny hadn't minded at first, he thought it was quite funny, but it was beginning to piss him off now. He didn't understand why Jake had taken such an big disliking to him when, as far as Jake knew, Danny was just a boy that his girlfriend had been friends with a couple of years ago. Danny had no intentions of messing in Jake and Marley's relationship; the last thing that he needed was more drama in his life.

The group were finished about ninety minutes later which left Danny panicking. He was late, really late. Especially if his dad hadn't bothered to read his text messages again; saying a quick goodbye to his friends Danny began to quickly make his way back home. He knew that his short goodbye would only add to Jake's no doubt growing list of reasons to hate Danny but the sooner he got home the better in Danny's mind. He'd completely lost track of time.

He walked into his house to find his father sitting at the dinner table. Two cold chicken dinners were still there. Alexander Stratton had poured himself a glass of red wine and gulped it down as Danny walked into the room. Alexander gave his son the stare. The stare that let Danny know that he was in trouble and he would have to be punished, Danny gulped.

"So, where have you been" Alexander asked, his voice cold, barely audible and calm. He wasn't the kind of dad who would yell at you when you were in trouble

"Look I-I-I…" Danny tried to begin exclaiming but he was already terrified as Alexander made his way over to him "I-I was out with some people who I've met, I sent you like five messages telling you. Did you not get them?"

"Son" said Alexander "I am a very, very busy man running a whole business empire. My phone, My E-mail are constantly full of messages, important messages that I need for my work, I do not have time to read your stupid little ones"

"I was just letting you know where I was" said Danny daring to raise his voice just a little

"You should've been here" Alexander Stratton screamed into his son's face, accidentally spitting on his son as he did so. Danny flinched. "I told you to be here for when I got home tonight, I wanted the house cleaning, I wanted us to have a nice father and son meal together in our new home for the first time. And what do you do? You stay out till some ungodly hour-"

"It's only 9.30" Danny said in vain. He knew that would have no effect on what was going on

"-With people I've never even met, or approved of you hanging out with" Alexander's voice had returned to its chilled icy tone which scared Danny a hell of a lot more than him shouting "I can't believe that you would be so disrespectful to me after everything I have done for you"

Alexander furiously grabbed a plate and chucked it at the wall. Danny flinched and jumped back; the plate missed him by inches. As he tried to collect himself Danny found himself being flung against the wall being punched repeatedly in the stomach before being pushed to the floor and then kicked. Blood pouring out of his mouth Danny tried to stand back up but was forced down again by his father's foot. Then, Danny felt a warm wet substance fall on his neck and was shocked as his father maliciously poured the gravy from the chicken dinners over his head.

Danny ran from the room as fast as he could and locked himself in his bedroom. He'd been here a million times before, he knew the drill and he knew that his dad would be sorry in the morning. He just lost his temper from time to time; it didn't mean he didn't love Danny. Danny knew that. But he also knew that his father would once again promise that it would never happen again, but then he always would. It was inevitable. But it was also Danny's life and he was used to it. The gravy had been new though.


	4. After

**Hi guys, just want to clear something up before we get started. In this chapter, and future ones, you will read a lot of sentences along the lines of 'Danny knew it was his fault his dad beat him'. I just want to say that I DO NOT IN ANYWAY actually think this, but I am writing from Danny's perspective and from his perspective he is the one in the wrong not his dad. **

**Once again, I believe anyone who attacks their own child in such a brutal manner is horrible. There is no excuse. **

Clarity, Chapter Four

It wasn't as bad as he had imagined it would be. Sure, the black eye was very noticeable but he'd explained those away a thousand times, his mouth looked little more than a cut lip and no one was likely to see the bruises that had formed on his stomach overnight. Danny knew it was his fault, he should've have made more of an effort to let his father know he would be home late. His dad wasn't a violent man, he just worried about him a lot since his mother and sister had been killed in that car crash. Danny knew that he should never have pushed him as far as he did last night. It had been a new low for them, but they would recover, they always did. What else could they do? Alexander was all that Danny had in America, the rest of his family were thousands of miles away on the other side of the Atlantic. Danny had to forgive his dad; he'd be lost without him.

Putting on some sun glasses in the hope of covering his black eye at least for a little while, Danny clutched his stomach in pain but gritted his teeth through it as he made his way downstairs. He knew that his dad would be feeling horrible about what had gone down between them and he didn't want to show his dad how badly hurt he was. He was hurt though. Every step he took just felt like another gunshot into his chest. Danny was sure he'd at least cracked a rib, it may have even been broken.

"Morning champ" Alexander greeted his son with a cheery smile as Danny entered the kitchen, looking at the scene you wouldn't have thought anything had happened the night before "I made you some Bacon and Eggs, I know they're your favourite and I want you to go to school on a full stomach"

"Thanks dad" said Danny with a grin, though the thought of eating wasn't particularly attractive to him at the time. Still, he grinned and bared it as he made his way through the bacon and eggs. He knew that his dad was sorry and this was his way of compensating, nothing else needed to be said over the subject. Danny knew he'd made a mistake the night before but now they could hopefully just move on and forget it had ever happened. Danny happily accepted his father's offer of a lift to school and relished the journey; they were laughing and joking just like the old times. Before any of the horrible stuff had happened. They were just a normal father and son having a laugh and talking about sports, school and girls and Danny loved it. He loved it when he and his father got on; he loved his dad more than anyone in the world

"Have a good day champ" said Alexander patting Danny on the back as he pulled up to McKinley. Danny winced at the action, he didn't mean too but it was very painful. Alexander took off his own sunglasses and rubbed his eyes as Danny looked on apologetically. He'd let himself down again, he deserved whatever was coming next

"Fuck, I'm sorry" said Alexander "I don't want to hurt you Daniel; you honestly have to believe that. I love you"

"I love you too" said Danny giving his dad a warm smile "Last night was my fault, I shouldn't have broken curfew like I did. It won't happen again"

"And I will never lay another finger on you as long as I live. I promise" said Alexander offering his son a hug. Danny took it. His dad meant it this time, he was sure of it "Have a good day son and I am pleased you made some friends. Look like we're gonna be staying in Lima for a while so it's good you've made friends"

With a smile on his face Danny headed into school. A few people gave his cut lip a look but as far as they knew it was nothing more than a minor injury caused by a silly accident. Danny was glad he'd put his sunglasses on, the eyes were bound to be the giveaway. Not just because they hid a massive black eye but also because Danny knew everytime he took a step his eyes must have been giving an extremely pained looked.

It would only take one person to ask a question and then the whole house of cards would come tumbling down and Danny would be left with nobody. His mum and sister had already been taken away from him; he could not risk losing his dad as well. Everyone suffered. That was just life. Though Danny knew he had suffered more than most people did in a life time:

_Many's the time I ran with you down_

_The rainy roads of our old town_

_Many the lives we lived in each day_

_And buried altogether _

_Don't laugh at me_

_Don't look away _

_You'll follow me back_

_With the sun in your eyes_

_And on your own_

_Bedshaped_

_And legs of stone_

_You'll knock on my door_

_And up we'll go_

_In white light_

_I don't think so_

_But what do I know?_

_What do I know?_

_I know! _

_I know you think I'm holding you down_

_And I've fallen by the wayside now_

_And I don't understand the same things as you_

_But I do _

_Don't laugh at me_

_Don't look away _

_You'll follow me back_

_With the sun in your eyes_

_And on your own_

_Bedshaped_

_And legs of stone_

_You'll knock on my door_

_And up we'll go_

_In white light_

_I don't think so_

_But what do I know?_

_What do I know?_

_I know! _

_And up we'll go_

_In white light_

_I don't think so_

_But what do I know?_

_What do I know?_

_I know!_

"Wow" said Mr Schu as Danny ended his passionate choir room performance to a round of applause. Jake, of course, had been rolling his eyes probably due to the fact that Marley and Kitty had both given the new boy a standing ovation and massive cheer "Daniel, I'm so glad we've found your talent this year. That was honestly amazing; you didn't have to do a solo on your first day though"

"I just wanted to prove to myself that the other day was a fluke" said Danny honestly "I was kind of worried it was, I haven't really sung much in the past few years so I just wanted to see"

"Well, you certainly haven't lost it at all" said Mr Schu giving him a pat on the back. The same spot his dad had done earlier. Danny winced but nobody seemed to notice or think that it was weird. He was amazed that his cover had not yet been blown, nobody had asked him to remove his sunglasses though he had overheard Jake calling him a doucebag for wearing sunglasses indoors. Danny was getting quite sick of Jake quite quickly, he had done nothing to upset the boy but Jake seemed to have decided he wasn't going to like Danny from the second he'd seen him and didn't seem to be budging in that view

Danny sighed. Whoever said teenage years were the best years of life was a moron


	5. New Friends

Clarity, Chapter Five

The next week passed without much event; Danny and his dad got on well and there were no incidents of violence or even raised voices. Danny knew deep down they were probably in the calm before another storm but he was determined to enjoy the calm whilst it was there. Alexander had backed off a lot and let Danny have more of a free reign with his new friends as long as he updated his dad on where he was every hour or so. Danny was very pleased that Marley had talked him into joining Glee Club; he had made a lot of friends in there since he joined. Obviously he was close to Marley and counted her as his best friend he'd also become very good friend with Ryder and Kitty in the short time they'd known eachother he'd even formed a strange little friendship with Sugar of all people

"So guys, I'm sure we can all agree that Danny has been a fantastic addition to the Glee Club" said Mr Schu the next day "But… as good as Danny is he unfortunately does not make up the numbers we need for competition. There are only eight of us right now but I'm pleased to announce we have a new member of the Glee Club"

Danny's interests peaked as a very pretty blonde girl walked into the room. She was one of those people you could tell always had a smile on her face and a nice thing to say about someone. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her

"Marissa?" said Ryder in disbelief. Danny turned to his friend who suddenly looked very uncomfortable "Marissa, what are you doing here? Can you even sing?"

"I've always kinda wanted to join Glee Club since I was a Freshman" said Marissa "But I always felt intimidated first by that Rachel girl, then last year the slots filling up so quickly I just never got my chance. But now is my chance, and I'm really happy to be here. Ryder, I'm sorry if this is weird for you"

"No, no it's not weird for me" said Ryder very firmly. Unique had gone quiet and into herself and Danny noted she was deliberately avoiding Ryder's eye line which was weird; Danny had seen Unique staring at Ryder on a number of occasions she clearly had a crush on me

"Great then" said Marissa clapping her hand together still smiling her radiant smile. Marley nudged Danny in the elbow having noticed him blushing at her "But Ryder's right, I do kind of need to prove myself to you so I hope you enjoy this performance" Marissa moved herself to the centre of the choir room and began singing:

_What you got if you ain't got love?_

_The kind that you just wanna give away_

_It's okay to open up_

_Go ahead and let the light shine through_

_I know it's hard on a rainy day_

_You wanna shut the world out_

_And just be left alone_

_But don't run out on your faith_

_'Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing_

_Is just a grain of sand_

_And what you've been out there searching for forever_

_Is in your hands_

_And when you figure out_

_Love is all that matters after all_

_It sure makes everything else_

_Seem so small_

_It's so easy to get lost inside_

_A problem that seems so big at the time_

_It's like a river that's so wide_

_It swallows you whole_

_While you're sitting around thinking 'bout what you can't change_

_And worrying about all the wrong things_

_Time's flying by, moving so fast_

_You better make it count 'cause you can't get it back_

_Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing_

_Is just a grain of sand_

_And what you've been out there searching for forever_

_Is in your hands_

_Oh, and when you figure out_

_Love is all that matters after all_

_It sure makes everything else_

_Seem so small_

_Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing_

_Is just a grain of sand?_

_And what you've been out there searching for forever_

_Is in your hands_

_And then you figure out_

_Love is all that matters after all_

_It sure makes everything else_

_Oh, it sure makes everything else_

_Seem so small_

Danny couldn't help but stand up and clap at the end of Marissa's performance; she had been totally amazing and had sung one of Danny's favourite Carrie Underwood songs to boot. The rest of the Glee Club clapped though maybe not as enthusiastically as Danny had done and he actually left the meeting feeling a little bit foolish. Marissa didn't seem to notice or care though as she ran straight to him once the bell rang

"Hey, so are you that new totally hot British boy that everyone has been talking about" she asked as they began walking down the corridors together

"I guess" said Danny "I don't really consider myself very hot though"

"Oh babe, you're a definite nine maybe even nine and a half" said Marissa "Anyway, I thought that you and I could work on a duet together for this week's assignments. Really show them all that the new kids are up to it"

Danny breathed an internal sigh of relief, he'd had no idea who he was going to ask to do a duet with him

"That sounds great" said Danny "So, and tell me if this is none of my business but what's the deal with you and Ryder? You guys like exes or something"

"Well not in the traditional sense no" said Marissa with a hint of regret in her voice "Look, it's not my thing to tell and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it without Ryder's permission. But let's just say there was a _misunderstanding _last year which resulted in Ryder singing a very passionate love song to me thinking I was somebody else"

"Wow, bummer" said Danny though now he was just utterly confused by Marissa and Ryder's history. "So, this duet, have you got anything in mind? I'm not that good at duets, I don't really listen to many artists who do duets. More just an insane amount of featuring artists"

"I've got a perfect song" said Marissa "Look, Danny, here's my cell number call me and we'll meet up sometime this weekend to practice because you and I are going to win this sweetheart"

And with that she skipped off and Danny's heart gave a flutter. However, it wasn't as big of a flutter as he got a few minutes later when Marley teased him about 'flirting' with Marissa. Jake, again, gave Danny not just looks of anger but looks of pure hatred throughout their conversation


	6. First Kiss

Clarity, Chapter Six

"Hey Danny, so I wondered if you minded if I came over to your house tonight to practice" said Marissa as she ran down the corridor breathlessly towards Danny who was walking to his next class with Ryder "My mum's got the plumbers in and the house is a bit of a mess, and we're due to perform tomorrow so I'd really like to do some practice tonight"

"Yeah, that should be fine" said Danny aware his father was away until Saturday meaning he had full reign of the house "My dad's away anyway, do you wanna come straight from school? I'll meet you after last period"

"Cool" said Marissa brightly "It's a date". Her face went red as both Danny and Ryder rose their eyebrows with smirks on their faces "I mean not a date-but a meeting – a gathering if you will of two people. Not a date"

"Not a date" said Danny with a nod and a smirk

"Bye see you then" said Marissa quickly before running away to a group of girls that Danny presumed were here friends. Ryder turned to Danny with his eyebrows still cocked

"Dude, Marissa is totally crushing on you" he said

"No she's not" said Danny, though it was pretty hard to deny "Maybe she's just feeling a bit awkward, the song she's chosen for us to sing is very _loving _to say the least"

"What is it?" asked Ryder

"A surprise" said Danny with a wink "So, who are you singing with"

"Kitty" said Ryder with a slight shy "I was originally going to ask Jake, I had awesome bro collaboration in mind, but he went with Marley so Kitty asked me and believe me you don't say no to that girl. We're singing Stay by Rihanna and that curly haired dude"

Danny smirked as they walked into English class and sat down on the same table as Jake who rolled his eyes at the sight of Danny. Ryder sighed and sat in between his two best friends clearly hating the fact that they did not like eachother. Why Jake didn't like Danny was still a mystery to the boy had taken a dislike to him though he had started suspecting that it was because of how close Danny and Marley were. Danny still got butterflies whenever he was around Marley but he was pushing his feelings to one side because he saw Jake made her happy and he wanted her to be happy more than anything in the world. Plus, he felt like he was kind of staring to like Marissa as well

"Marley and me are doing Wherever You Will Go by The Calling" Jake was telling Ryder midway through the lesson, clearly altering his voice loud enough so Danny could hear him "Marley says it's one of her favourite songs ever and she really kicks butt at singing it. That trip for two to Breadstix is in in the bag"

"Well I hope you get it, although I do like the idea of Joe and Unique having to go together" said Ryder with a laugh "As long as it's not me and Kitty, things are still icy between us after I turned her down last year"

Danny's ears pricked up at this. He loved gossip deep down

"Then why the hell did she ask you to do a duet with her" asked Jake

"She doesn't like Sugar or Joe and she always feels upstaged by Unique" said Ryder "We've been getting on alright, but I don't think I could do a whole evening with her"

Danny wondered just how many dating combinations all his new friends had tried before he'd arrived. The other day he found out that Ryder and Marley had a brief romance last year.

Danny listened intently to Jake and Ryder's conversation for the rest of English class, he felt that he needed as much information on the group as possible. Jake walked off without so much of a glance at Danny as the class ended, Ryder seemed to notice this and Danny's discomfort but told his new friend that it just took a while for Jake to warm to people and that he would come around in time. Danny wasn't sure, it really seemed as if Jake truly hated him. As he headed to Math class he wondered to himself just what Marley saw in the boy. The only side Danny had seen of Jake had been the rude and arrogant side but that can't have been the only side to him as he seemed very popular and loved around the school and Marley clearly adored him. Danny was confused and spent the majority of his math lesson zoning out and thinking things over. He was also looking forward to spending some time alone with Marissa that evening

Meeting the girl at the end of the day the two walked the thirty minute journey to Danny's new house fairly slowly talking over their individual days, laughing and stopping for ice cream at the park. Danny hadn't connected to a girl like this since he'd met Marley at summer camp all of those years ago and the more time he spent with Marissa the less he found himself thinking about Marley which could only be a good thing. Arriving home about ten minutes later Danny made Marissa a drink and they watched the TV for a while and just talked. He felt as if there was a real connection between them already

"Right come on dude, get to your piano" said Marissa dragging Danny along to his father's piano in the study. Danny had been foolish enough to tell her about the study, the piano and the fact he was a bit of an instrument wiz. Danny knew they weren't allowed in but he wasn't going to touch anything and with his dad not being home until the weekend he knew there was no worry of them being caught. They began practicing their song which was pretty much perfect now except for Danny's lines in the chorus which were much too high for his voice

"I really don't see how we're going to do this" said Danny after his fifth failed attempt "Short of kicking me really hard in the balls before we start there is no way we can reach that high note"

"Come on, I know you can. I believe in you" said Marissa with her warm smile plastered across her pretty face. Danny felt his heart flutter as she smiled at him and he blushed slightly, she seemed to notice and giggled "Danny, you are nearly there, you can do it I know you can. You're a brilliant singer"

This was enough motivation for Danny who then successfully sang the chorus and they managed to get the song as perfect as they could. Marissa jumped into his arms as they finished the song for the fourth time and they shared a hug as they left the study

"Danny, can I tell you something" Marissa asked about half an hour later as they were both sitting on the sofa curled up near eachother "I heard Ryder say he thought I liked you after I left today, and I just I want to say that-"

"I know" said Danny giving her a smile "It's cool honestly, I'm flattered you like me and in all honestly I think I kinda like you as well"

"You do" said Marissa suddenly looking brighter

"Yeah" said Danny "You seem really cool, collected and you're an amazing singer and a great person. I haven't felt myself getting this close to someone this quickly"

"Me either" said Marissa shuffling towards him and resting her head on his shoulder "We are going to KILL this performance"

"True dat" said Danny looking at her and with that they shared their first kiss


	7. The Threat

Clarity, Chapter Seven

"OK guys, thanks to Kitty and Ryder for a wonderful performance there" said Mr Schu as Kitty and Ryder finished a good performance of Rihanna's "Stay" and sat back down. Danny was feeling fairly nervous, he and Marissa were chosen to go last and everyone else's duets had been very good especially Jake and Marley's. Danny and Marissa both shared a nervous look as they made their way to the front of the choir room. Danny sat behind the piano and Marissa took his hand

"Just like we practiced remember" she told him with that warm, kind smile of hers. On her nod Danny began to play the piano and started singing:

Danny:

_You tell all the boys "No"_

_Makes you feel good, yeah._

_I know you're out of my league_

_But that won't scare me away, oh, no_

_You've carried on so long,_

_You couldn't stop if you tried it._

_You've built your wall so high_

_That no one could climb it,_

_But I'm gonna try._

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?_

_Would you let me see beneath your perfect?_

_Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl_

_I wanna see inside_

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?_

Marissa:

_You let all the girls go_

_Makes you feel good, don't it?_

_Behind your Broadway show_

_I heard a boy say, "Please, don't hurt me"_

_You've carried on so long_

_You couldn't stop if you tried it._

_You've built your wall so high_

_That no one could climb it._

_But I'm gonna try_

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?_

_Would you let me see beneath your perfect?_

_Take it off now, boy, take it off now, boy_

_I wanna see inside_

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight, oh, tonight?_

_See beneath, see beneath,_

_I..._

_Tonight_

_I..._

Both:

_I'm gonna climb on top your ivory tower_

_I'll hold your hand and then we'll jump right out_

_We'll be falling, falling but that's OK_

_'Cause I'll be right here_

_I just wanna know_

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?_

_Would you let me see beneath your perfect?_

_Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl (take it off now, boy,take it off now, boy)_

_'Cause I wanna see inside_

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight, oh, oh, oh, tonight?_

_See beneath your beautiful, oh, tonight._

_We ain't perfect, we ain't perfect, no._

_Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?_

Danny couldn't help but smile at Marissa when they finished their song and the whole choir room, Jake included, erupted into a standing applause as they sang the last note. Marissa winked at Danny as she took her own bow as Mr Schu made his way over to the pair.

"Guys, I really don't know what to say" he said "I mean I knew you were guys were good, but your voices together like that was just so powerful. Well done, especially you Danny, those notes must've been very hard for a boy to hit"

"Yeah they were but I got there" said Danny feeling more comfortable than he ever had done in the choir room before "Marissa helped me a lot, we've practically been working day and night together to make it perfect"

"Well you certainly succeeded there" said Mr Schu as the club applauded again as Danny and Marissa went back to their seats "So guys, that's everyone now and it's time to vote for the winners who will get a free meal at Breadstix on Thursday night. Now remember, you are not allowed to vote for yourselves"

Kitty and Unique both sighed which made Danny smirk. Danny looked around the room trying to consider who the best to vote for was. Sugar had collaborated with a new boy in the group called Devon who'd joined earlier that week, neither of them were overly brilliant singers but they could carry a tune and their duet of _Aint No Mountain High Enough _had been enjoyable due to the amount of enthusiasm they put into it. Unique and Joe's rendition of Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand's _Enough is Enough _had been vocally fantastic but was seriously lacking in the chemistry department and had been verging on awkward. Ryder and Kitty's performance had been good in Danny's opinion but as much as he disliked giving Jake compliments he couldn't argue that Jake and Marley's duet had been the best. He reluctantly ticked the box next to their names, looking next to him Danny saw Marissa voting for Kitty and Ryder

Five minutes later and Mr Schu was standing at the front of the choir room with the prize money in his hands. Danny felt stupid for being nervous

"OK guys, now you all did fantastically but there can only be one winner" said Mr Schu signalling the band members to make a drum roll noise "And the winners are… Danny and Marissa"

Marissa practically shrieked as she ran and hugged Mr Schu before taking the money for the meal from it, Danny was more reserved and was just grateful that he's finally found a place where he was accepted for the first time. He was in a good mood for the rest of the day and was looking forward to his and Marissa's first date on Thursday

The next two days was passed without much event. Danny told Ryder and Marley that he'd kissed Marissa and was hoping that the free dinner on Thursday would constitute as a date even though he wasn't paying. Danny had secretly hoped that Marley would seem somewhat jealous about this but she merely smiled and told Danny she was very happy for him and that Marissa was a sweet girl who would treat him well. Danny was also pleased that she seemed to have relayed the information to Jake who soon stopped looking at Danny like he was planning to murder him anymore.

Eventually Thursday came along and Danny was in his room putting on his best shirt and making himself look his best ahead of his meal with Marissa. He'd been looking forward to it ever since Tuesday and was sure that it could lead onto something more if it went well. Just as he was leaving Danny noticed his father's car pulling up, he was confused as his dad was once again meant to be working away in New York until the weekend.

"Hello son" said Alexander Stratton as he walked in the front door to see his son dressed up nice and ready to go out "Wow, you're certainly dressed well for someone who's staying in all night. In case you're wondering why I'm here, I was missing you and because I'm the boss I decided to give myself a long weekend to spend with my son. I've got a lot plan"

"That sounds great dad" said Danny with a smile "But I've already got plans tonight, I did tell you, I won that duets competition in Glee Club and now I get a free meal out to that Breadstix restaurant in town, I'd got another night but tonight's the last night that the free coupon is available to use"

He didn't mention Marissa, he'd told his dad he'd teamed up with Ryder. Alexander liked to meet the girls his son was thinking of dating before he let him date them, which was almost never. Alexander never considered anyone to be good enough for his son. Danny flinched slightly as he saw some anger flash across his father's eyes but his father soon changed into a smile and drove his son to the restaurant

"Thanks dad" said Danny as he left the car, however Alexander grabbed his wrist and pressed down on it hard

"Home by ten at the latest" said Alexander menacingly leaving Danny scared stiff and unable to enjoy the date with Marissa as he was constantly checking the time and was distracted by thoughts of what would happen to him if he missed his curfew. As a result he rushed them both through the meal and said a quick goodbye before practically running off to catch a stopping bus nearby. As he looked back at Marissa he could tell she wasn't happy and that he'd probably ruined things with her

As he ran home, Danny was feeling quite annoyed with his father. It seemed almost as if he'd deliberately set out to ruin Danny's night and if that was the case then he'd definitely suceeded


End file.
